warming trays

canadian_rose(zone 3a)February 18, 2013

Hi again! :)

I've read that it's a good idea to keep the bottom of the seed trays warm. How does one do that? I imagine some kind of reptile heater - but what kind and where do I get them from. Is it expensive to warm a lot of seed trays?

Also - how long should the heat be left on for? - all night/all day. For how many weeks - the whole time they're inside or just until they're a certain size?

Hi Carol! You can buy heat mats for seed starting trays. They are rather pricey though and I'm not sure how expensive they are to run all the time. Usually anything with a heating element in it draws quite a bit of power. It will probably help speed up germination but I don't think it's really necessary. Look in seed catalogs and local nurseries for them if you're interested.